Company hopes to bring competition to SouthCoast with government-funded fiber optic highway

NEW BEDFORD — A government-funded fiber optic network that runs from Provincetown to Providence and is designed to increase the number of Internet options and improve cellphone service will be completed early next year.

NEW BEDFORD — A government-funded fiber optic network that runs from Provincetown to Providence and is designed to increase the number of Internet options and improve cellphone service will be completed early next year.

Unlike existing fiber optic networks, which are controlled by the telecommunications companies that built them, any private, nonprofit or government service provider will be able to pay to use the 350-mile OpenCape infrastructure.

"We're different from any other provider because we have an open network," said OpenCape CEO Dan Vortherms. "We provide a platform that somebody else can use to launch that kind of a service or we can evaluate that ourselves."

Vortherms' hope is that OpenCape's presence will disrupt the area's telecommunications market, where major providers such as Comcast dominate, but many pieces will have to fall into place before consumers see the benefits.

"I was shocked to come here and find a single provider of broadband connectivity," said Vortherms, who took over as CEO in October. "To me, it's all about long-term economic opportunity for the Cape and, to further break that down, it's really driving additional competition for additional services."

The network, which is funded by a $32 million federal stimulus grant and $8 million in state contributions, was supposed to finish in January. Construction is behind schedule due in part to crews being called off to help repair damage from Hurricane Sandy, Vortherms said.

Once complete, the path of the network will link to about 70 "anchor" institutions, mostly libraries and schools on the Cape, Vortherms said. OpenCape is waiting for approval from the federal government to add another 35 institutions to that list, he said.

None of those institutions has yet contracted with CapeNet, the private company that is operating the network, Vortherms said.

Private homes and businesses do not currently have a way to access the network, but Open Cape representatives said they are confident that private companies will come forward to build additional "last mile" connections. No deals have been signed yet, they said.

"There's a lot of small service providers in the area already and we've been so focused on getting the network built that we haven't had a lot of communication with them," Vortherms said. "Clearly Open Cape itself is going to be looking to say 'OK, what do we want to do next?' ourselves."

OpenCape's network will offer speeds of 10 to 100 megabits per second, with the capacity for upgrades, Vortherms said, adding that OpenCape will likely target businesses as it tries to get subscribers. In comparison, the company that covers most of the area in question, Comcast, offers speeds of 15 to 305 megabits per second for residences and up to 10 gigabits for businesses.

"Consumers and businesses choose Comcast because of our innovative services, which are backed by the Comcast customer guarantee and our commitment to providing a superior customer experience," said Comcast spokesman Marc Goodman.